The use of mobile devices, such as smartphones, to participate in web surveys has increased tremendously in recent years. The reasons for this development are a skyrocketing proportion of smartphone owners accompanied by an increase in high-speed mobile Internet access. This development also enables respondents to participate in web surveys without any time and place restrictions. For instance, they can take part on their morning way to work or at home in the afternoon. There are almost no limitations regarding mobile web survey participation. One strategy to investigate respondents’ position and completion conditions is the collection of GPS (Global Positioning System) data. However, a drawback of GPS is that its reception in buildings or beneath the ground is reduced or even impossible. We therefore propose “SurveyMaps (SMaps),” a JavaScript-based tool that combines passive data, such as IP address, acceleration, and compass, to provide a supplement to GPS data.

In a recent usability study, Schlosser, Höhne and Qureshi initially investigate the proper functioning of SMaps in public spaces, such as parks and cities, by using GPS data. To illustrate the functionality of SMaps, in this seminar we will present the results of an experiment in which we asked respondents to complete a mobile web survey on their smartphone, while being outdoor and randomly walk around (informed consent will be obtained). The preliminary results look very promising and indicate that SMaps reliably gathers respondents outdoor position. A next step is to test the application of SMaps in buildings and beneath the ground.